Darkness in the Mountains
by Paname
Summary: A haze has spread over Fiore, coating the kingdom in darkness and influencing citizens and mages alike. Lucy is unaffected by the haze and seems to be the only person to recognize what is happening. She finds the one person least likely to be hurt, wounded. How will this person change Lucy, and how will she change him?
1. Chapter 1

So, this is Fairy Tail story number two for me. I'm excited about it, and I hope that my readers enjoy it. This is a ZerLu story, because crack pairings are amazingly fun. If you have not gone to my page and voted on my poll, please do so.

I own not a thing!

Chapter 1:

A slight rumbling was heard in the southern mountains of Fiore. A being opened its eyes and began to remember. It remembered the days of glory, and the days of ruling. The days when it reigned supreme over the weak creatures called humans; when everything and anything was within arms reach. When all the lower creatures crawled beneath its glorious and beautiful feet. It all ended when he came, his black hair slightly tousled, eyes searching for power and the will to dominate ruthlessly. The being had laughed at the boy one moment, and had been fatally struck the next. This would not be the course of events this time.

Lucy's eyes opened, dulled and numb as she rolled out of bed. She quickly grabbed her brush and yanked it through her hair, pulling it back into a straight braid. Next she grabbed clothes that seemed clean enough and headed out the door. Lucy needed to get to the guild as early as possible, grab a job and hit the road. Fairy Tail had changed for the worse, and Lucy was doing everything she could to become financially stable and leave. The guild members had become abusive and randomly violent. It wasn't just the guild, it was as if the town of Magnolia was blanketed in a thick mental fog that prevented rational thought. It had almost transformed over night, and Lucy quickly became agile and alert due to the violent nature of the world around her.

She found herself at the doors of the guild, and before she even touched them, she looked around. She scanned the area cautiously and stayed hidden in the shadow of the building. Sensing no traps or ambushes, she pushed the door open as quickly and quietly as possible. Slipping into the shadows, she made her way towards the request board and read them as she drew closer. She prepared one hand to grab the one she had chosen, and kept the other on the handle of her whip. Her dagger was slipped into its case in her sleeve, and she was ready to pull it out in an instant if needed. Successful in her endeavor, she made her way to Mirajane and cleared her throat, holding the job in front of her own face.

Lucy made her way sneakily out of the guild, avoiding violence or abuse from the people she thought she could trust. She quickly entered her apartment and threw clean clothes into her bag and heaved it over her shoulder, grunting in pain as it hit a day old cut on her shoulder blade. Knowing she had little time to dawdle, she locked her front door, and hid all her valuables. Quickly opening her back hatch that was hidden behind a curtain, she slipped out of her apartment unnoticed. She urgently made her way out of the city, and found that the air seemed to clear a little. She sighed slightly, hoping that she could finally pay off her greedy landlady after this job and run away. She grazed her hand over her keys, and whispered into the still morning air.

"I open thee, gate of Pyxis." Lucy looked over her shoulder, afraid that she would be seen. She looked towards her spirit and almost wept, the poor being hated this atmosphere. "North please, then go back." She said, while holding his fin-like appendage. She received her heading from the spirit, and he disappeared not a moment later. Heading north, Lucy began her trek through the woods to her clients house.

Ten minutes later, Lucy heard rustling in the woods. She called upon her most loyal spirit, and grabbed her whip and dagger.

"Princess, he's coming." Loke whispered, standing by Lucy in a protective stance. She was staring at the bushes to her left, and had her whip ready to use. She could feel her heart pounding out of her chest, her eyes on the direction of the noise. She nearly jumped out of her skin when what appeared to be a young man fell out of the bush, bleeding profusely and moaning in pain.

Lucy inched closer with wide eyes, not believing what she saw. The young man pushed himself up on his elbows and looked at Lucy. Lucy looked right back at him, and saw his deep black eyes. She froze for half a moment and then leapt into action, calling Gemini forth and casting Urano Metria. A bright light surrounded both Zeref and Lucy, connecting their hearts for a brief moment. Lucy's eyes widened as she saw pain, loneliness, sorrow and desire for love. The next moment Lucy saw her own heart, reflecting Zeref's heart; they were the same. Both people just wanted to be loved and accepted, and neither had found it.

Zeref's eyes shone with tears, as he felt his heart leap with joy. He saw her heart, he saw her pain and desires. He knew them to be his own, and he finally understood that everyone wanted to be accepted and loved. Everyone wanted to be held, kissed, adored, and he did, too. Zeref smiled with full sincerity, tears slipping out of his eyes.

The light died down and Lucy stumbled back, Loke catching her and asking her if she needed help. Lucy quickly declined and when he protested, she gave him the forced closure look that he knew so well. Loke retreated into the spirit world, telling Lucy to call him if anything happened. Her gaze never left Zeref and she eyed him with a mixture of mistrust and respect. He was still wounded, and lay on the ground with his head on his forearms as he looked into her cautious brown eyes. Her lower lip trembled and her eyes filled with fat tears.

"Why? Zeref… Tenroujima, Acnologia, everything… why?" Lucy choked out, her tears dripping down her face. Zeref saw her, raw and uncut; she was in pain and he felt his chest tighten at the sight. There was something so chillingly beautiful about her in this moment. He tried in vain to sit up, but he winced at the pain in his side. Zeref settled for pushing himself up on his elbows to look her as much in the eye as he could.

"Because I didn't know any better." It had never occurred to Lucy that someone did not experience empathy or compassion. She carefully inched her way towards Zeref; she was afraid and did not know if his magic would strike her. He looked at Lucy and the odd shuffle she was doing. A small smile played across his lips and he wondered how powerful this woman was if she could make him smile by just doing an awkward walk. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his side. He was startled when he felt a delicate finger poke into his cheek. He looked up and was met with a crouching Lucy right in front of him.

"Why have you not killed me yet?" She asked, clearly confused as to why he hadn't enveloped her in his darkness.

"I learned to control it while you were locked away on Tenroujima." He said, regret filling his eyes and pouring down his flawless cheeks. Lucy, who was born compassionate and forgiving, gently wiped his tears away and cautiously rolled him on his back. Zeref groaned in pain and tried to protest, but Lucy placed her hand on his chest and sternly told him to lay down. Zeref was so engrossed in this woman's behavior that he almost forgot to ask for her name. She had turned away and was rummaging in her bag, looking for bandages and her favorite healing salve.

"What do you call yourself?" Zeref saw the young woman turn around, debating on whether to tell him or not.

"I am Lucy Heartfilia, and a Fairy Tail mage." She said, the first part of her sentence coming with ease. When she spoke of her guild, she momentarily became tense and anxious. She stood stiffly and made her way to his body, and set down her supplies.

"I need to bandage your wounds. It will hurt, but I'll do my best to be gentle." Zeref only could nod his head and prepare himself. It had so far been a very trying day for him, and he realized that this new emotional capability would take a while to fully comprehend.


	2. Chapter 2

So this is the story that my mind decided needed updating. I don't know why, but here you go! Chapter number two! Thanks to all my reviewers, and I'd really appreciate it if my readers could pop over and vote in my poll.

Chapter 2:

Lucy untied his white side toga, and reached to open up Zeref's long black overcoat. Undoing button after button made Lucy more anxious as she began to see how many injuries he had sustained, but a different anxiety bloomed in her chest when she reached the lower portion of his coat. She was given a clear view of his muscular chest with well defined abs, and below his abs a clear V was shown on his lower abdomen. Lucy swallowed hard and tried to look up at Zeref's face, his eyes were looking right at her and she felt herself shiver under his gaze.

Quickly snapping out of her reverie; Lucy grabbed her hydrogen peroxide bottle and cotton swabs. She soaked a pad with the liquid and looked into Zeref's eyes once again. _Don't get lost in those gorgeous deep pools of his eyes, you need to clean him up!_ Lucy mentally scolded herself.

"This may sting, but it will make sure that the next step hurts less, okay? The ointment won't work unless your wounds are clean." Zeref simply nodded, knowing that he had to trust her. Zeref knew full well that if he made any move to hurt her, all she'd have to do was look into his eyes with her honey brown ones and he'd be done.

Lucy placed her hand on an unwounded part of his chest and inwardly groaned. His muscles were firm and well defined. With her other hand she gently dabbed at a smaller cut with the solution to test how he'd react. The liquid fizzed in his shallow wound and his brows furrowed in pain. This immediately made Lucy glad she hadn't started out with alcohol, he did not seem used to the feeling of anti-bacterial solutions. This was going to be a long night, and Lucy began to sense the familiar feeling of uneasiness creep upon her. She needed to find a shelter, and quickly before they were found by someone or something.

"Zeref, I need to do your biggest injuries first. Then we need to move to a more secluded and safe place. Do you understand? This will hurt, but I'll try to be as gentle as possible." Lucy whispered, making sure that he heard and no one else. She had a distinct feeling that they were both in danger. She made quick work of the large gash on his right shoulder down to the center of his chest. She saw the liquid do its work on his wound and his face scrunch in pain. Lucy quickly dabbed away the hydrogen peroxide and put a healing ointment along his cut, while reaching for the bandages she looked up at his face. The ointment seemed to be doing its numbing job and Zeref's face had relaxed. Lucy looked over to his left side and grimaced; this would be harder than his chest injury.

Lucy quickly gathered what she'd need to clean the second big wound. This one was not a clean cut, it had to have been done with blunt trauma to cause his skin tissue to shred like that. Lucy looked at Zeref and frowned, this would be even more painful for him.

"Zeref," Lucy whispered, getting a moan of a response. "this is going to hurt worse that the other one did, prepare yourself." He nodded, knowing that Lucy was actually taking care of him and that he should be very grateful. _This woman has brought me to my knees with one simple spell, how did she do it? How did she awaken this part of me that was locked away? _Zeref began to wonder about Lucy, and exactly what she was. Then the next moment he felt a searing pain in his side and grunted. Lucy was gently padding his torn waist with the fizzling solution and the moment Zeref looked at it, he wished he hadn't. Lucy was bravely cleaning as much as she could and was nearly halfway finished.

_He's being such a good patient, and despite being the most powerful mage he's letting me bandage him up. _Lucy was almost done, just one last spot that seemed to be less damaged than the rest but was beginning to turn a little yellow. She gently brought another hydrogen peroxide filled pad to the area and knew immediately that it was the start of an infection. Zeref groaned in pain, and Lucy held his right hand with her left and squeezed gently. She knew that cleaning the rest of the area would be painful.

Lucy let out a long exhale as she gently covered his side with her special numbing ointment. Zeref visibly relaxed as he felt the pain in his side ebb away, he knew that this woman had saved his life. Gratitude was such a foreign feeling to him, part of him became angry that she had brought it out, while the other part was filled with warmth just by feeling her hand on his stomach.

Lucy wasn't paying attention to Zeref's day dreaming, and was scouring the area with her eyes to be sure that no one was around as she packed up her medical supplies. She silently called out Pyxis again, apologizing in her soft and gentle voice to the spirit. "East, please." Pyxis wasted no time in pointing Lucy in the right direction before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Lucy looked sharply over at Zeref, she had to bring him to her cave. The one place she knew where the oppressive mist somehow did not penetrate.

"Do not reveal the location of this area to anyone, is that clear?" Lucy said, trying to be as authoritative as she could be towards the extremely attractive man. Lucy's eyes wandered from the tuft of hair that stuck up at the top of his head, and traveled south to his face, then chest. Lucy quickly regained her composure and cocked an eyebrow at the man. Zeref nodded quickly, ignoring the slight throbbing from his wounds. He made a slightly shocked sound when he felt Lucy's soft hands around his chest; lifting him up and bringing his left arm over her shoulders. Next she brought her right arm to the right side of his waist and nearly moaned out loud when she felt his muscles flex under her small hand. They began their awkward yet swift walk to Lucy's sacred cave and the unruly pair almost tumbled inside.

Lucy did her best to lay Zeref up against the wall of the cave and was handing him some water that she had brought along when he startled her with a question.

"What are you, and how do you have so much power over me?" Lucy, who was kneeling in front of Zeref, stumbled and fell to her side. She quickly sat before Zeref and tried to contain her giggles, Lucy then smiled genuinely and took his hand.

"I'm human. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't know why you have this much power over me. Helping people isn't something anyone can safely do anymore." Lucy said, sadness lacing her voice. Zeref squeezed Lucy's hand and she looked up into his deep eyes. She couldn't help but blush; he was very handsome and Lucy felt her heart beat wildly in her chest whenever she made eye contact with the man. She could feel her face getting hotter and hotter. When she felt Zeref's hand on her cheek she almost squeaked in surprise. He gently ran his thumb across the side of her flushed face, confusion taking form on his face.

"Why are you all pink?"


	3. Chapter 3

All the writers block... all of it, although I think I am passed it! I hope you enjoy this chapter as always, and a huge thank you to my reviewers. I also have a poll on my profile that could use some votes!

I own nothing.

Chapter 3:

Zeref began to feel himself return to conscious thought as he woke he became aware of warmth near his body. It was the first time in his life that he had not wanted to wake up; it was the first time he experienced so much physical comfort of this sort. He pulled the source of warmth closer to his healing body and heard a slight moan. Zeref's eyes snapped open at this, and he looked towards the soft, warm being that had brought him so much pleasure. He suddenly realized the position they were in, Lucy's back pressed firmly against his torso. He internally groaned as he realized that her perky butt was applying a sinfully delightful amount of pressure against his manhood. This woman had brought color into his life for the first time, and in more areas than he could count. He knew was eternally indebted to her for it; he knew that he would do anything for her, and make sure that she always had support when she needed it.

Zeref noticed Lucy begin to stir and quickly pretended to be asleep, curious as to what her reaction would be to their position. He payed close attention to Lucy through his almost closed eyes and was surprised at her actions when she woke up. She opened her eyes and assessed the situation, realizing that it had been far too long since she had slept that well, and turned over. Lucy nuzzled her nose into Zeref's neck and let out a sweet and happy moan and then fell back asleep, making the dark lord freeze in place. Then ever so cautiously, he wrapped an arm over her shoulder and brought her in closer to his chest. Every now and then, he would bring Lucy closer to his body in gentle, and careful movements so as not to wake her.

What seemed like an eternity to Zeref, and a few minutes to Lucy, she opened her eyes again. This time she realized she had cuddled into his chest and blushed deeply at the intimacy of their position, her arms wrapped tightly around his firm body. Looking up at his supposedly sleeping face, she could help but cup one of his soft cheeks and ran her thumb across his lips. It took everything the very awake Zeref had to not moan in pleasure, however Lucy thankfully stopped teasing him and gently tried to lift herself from his grasp. Lucy's hand slipped as she tried to detangle herself from Zeref's arms, and she fell, somehow toppling directly onto him. This surprised Zeref and he caught Lucy and made an "oof" sound as her full weight was thrust upon him. At this point, Lucy's eyes were wide with shock, and a crimson hue had stained her cheeks. She quickly realized that Zeref was still wounded, and that she needed to tend to his injuries to ensure that he healed properly.

"I-I need to clean your wounds again." Lucy stuttered, completely embarrassed by the closeness they had unknowingly shared. Zeref simply nodded as Lucy scrambled around gathering what she'd need. When Lucy turned around, she was faced with a completely shirtless Zeref, making her blush even darker. Lucy mentally shook herself and began to focus on the task of redressing his injuries, and was startled to see how much he had healed in one night.

"How have you healed this much in one night?" Lucy asked, then reality hit her. She had taken a job and not arrived the same day. This meant that if she went to her job late, the client could do anything they wanted to her. She had learned this the hard way when she was an hour late to a client, and they had given her a black eye and told her that she'd receive half her pay due to her tardiness. She would hate to discover the punishment for being an entire day late. Lucy tried to compose herself but she could not help the tears that suddenly pooled in her eyes. Much to Lucy's chagrin, Zeref noticed her tears immediately, and gently wiped them away from her face. His own actions surprised him, yesterday he would have laughed in her face and walked away. _Lucy Heartfilia, you are a force to be reckoned with. _

"I don't understand, but I'd like to help. What is it that has caused you enough fear to shed tears?" Zeref asked, slightly confused and shocked at Lucy's sudden change in behavior. Lucy wiped the remaining tears away and sighed heavily, putting down the bandages she would have used on him. She sat up straight and crossed her legs together, a pensive look flitting across her face before she ran her hand through her bangs and began to tell her story.

"It all started when an eerie mist settled into the town one day, it was particularly thick, and made it so that you couldn't see very well. I happened to be alone on the street when this happened, so I found a safe side street to sit it out. I had no idea the effect it would have on people, how it would change who they are. When it cleared enough to go to my guild, it was like their hearts had been shifted."

Lucy took in a deep, wavering breath and let it out. "Thats when they started to hurt me, I think they could tell that I wasn't changed by the mist. I didn't even think to fight back, these were supposed to be my friends. I have many scars from those times, and I had to learn to be as inconspicuous as possible to keep myself safe. It took a while to realize this, but I think the mist has spread throughout the entire kingdom. Clients of mages tend to be very picky about tardiness, and I discovered it by experience."

Zeref's eyes were wide with newfound horror, he now knew exactly why Lucy had panicked when she had realized how much time had passed. "I think I understand, what will happen if you never show? Is there any way to get out of the job?" Lucy shook her head sadly, her slightly tangled blonde locks flowing along.

"No, if I don't show, they'll contact the rune knights. They'll come find me and then I'm not sure what would happen after that. If I said I got side tracked helping someone, they wouldn't believe me." She finished off sadly, look him in the eyes with heartbreakingly sad eyes. The eyes that stared back at her were not the deep black that she had first seen, but the red ones that had summoned Acnologia.

"Zeref, your eyes!" Lucy said, thoroughly startled by his now red eyes. She looked at him, concern marring her face as she gently took his hand. She felt herself relax as she felt him squeeze hers in response.

"I won't allow it to happen," He said firmly, eyes flickering back to their usual black. "they have no right to come after you for any reason." Lucy's relief was short lived, as she heard voices near the mouth of the cave. Dread filled her mind as she recognized the voice of Lahar, saying something about how she had last been seen in this area. Realizing that they had to move out as quickly as possible, Lucy gathered her things and quickly did everything she could to erase any evidence of their presence in the cave. She looked over at Zeref who was watching the way out in case anyone came in, and mouthed to him "We need to get out of here, now." He understood completely and pressed his ear against the side of the cave, when he ceased to hear outside voices, he turned to Lucy and nodded. If ever there was a time to attempt an escape, it was now.

Lucy grabbed his hand and ran as quietly as she could towards the mouth of the cave, right before she reached it, she was suddenly yanked back by Zeref. Her questioning eyes turned to understanding when she saw him put a finger to his lips, signaling that they were close by. After a short period of time passed, Lucy peered around the edge of the cave opening cautiously, trying to hear every thing, even the teeniest breath. She elegantly retreated and looked to Zeref and nodded her head. He quickly grabbed her hand and they were off again, this time running through the thick forest, trying to lose their pursuers.

It felt like she had been running for ages, and her legs burned from overexertion. Zeref was panting slightly, but seemed to be faring better than Lucy. She quickly regained her energy, and stood up to continue on, but Zeref stopped her.

"They seem to have lost us for now, but we'll need to be on the move again soon. Do you want to set up camp here, I think there's-" He suddenly stopped talking, and Lucy heard what he had, there were quiet breaths in a particularly thick part of the woods to their left. Only one set of lungs could be heard, and Lucy knew that this was a trap to lure them away from one person directly into the arms of the enemy.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm just going to sit here and agonize over this story. I just want to give a huge thank you to GemNika, who's helped me form my ideas with my story. Also thank you to my reviewers, it means so much to me. On with the story!

I own nothing.

Chapter 4:

Lucy grabbed Zeref by the arm quickly, and dragged him into the woods. She had her dagger in her right hand, and Zeref's warm forearm in her left. He could feel Lucy's strength in the way she held his arm, and the way she pulled him along as she ran. He quickened his pace so that he ran next to her and looked to the her face. She had a beautiful profile that was slightly contorted due to concentration. Her intelligence was beautiful to him, and he was mesmerized almost to the point of forgetting their situation.

They quickly reached the spy in the bushes, and Lucy sliced at his legs and chest with her dagger and he fell to his knees. She grabbed him by his upper arm and looked to Zeref expectantly.

"Help me carry him, please. We need information from him, he's dead weight right now though." Lucy was panting and slightly sweaty, and Zeref took this opportunity to sling the man's body over his shoulders. Lucy looked around the clearing and sighed, not sensing any imminent danger. They had successfully avoided a well planned trap.

"Zeref, do you know of a place where we can hide for a bit? We need a safe-house, a place where we can live for a few days." She looked nervous, and he could tell that the weight of the world had taken a toll on the young woman. It caused an uncomfortable tightening in his chest; he made a mental note to ask Lucy about later when they were safe.

"I know of a place, but it isn't particularly comfortable." He said cautiously, aware of the events that took place the last time they were there at the same time. He shifted his gaze away from hers and braced himself to face her anger. He adjusted the unconscious man on his shoulders and mumbled something inaudible to Lucy.

"Zeref, what did you say?" Her voice was calm and even, and there was no sign of anger.

"The small island where the tower of heaven used to be." His voice was low, and he still continued to avoid eye contact. He flinched when Lucy began to speak, fearing the worst.

"I see, why is that a safe place? Why there over any other potentially closer area?" Her voice was still measured, her mind working out the logic instead of going to the emotional reaction.

"I can get us there through the shadows, and it is safest because it is where the vast majority of humans are afraid and keep away from it." He was still timid and wondered whether it had registered for her or not. "I was worried you'd be more upset over it, you know some people who are very dear to you were enslaved there." He saw her sigh heavily and wipe her eye delicately with a small finger.

"After what they did to me, there is no going back. It might've upset me at some point in my life, but not now." Her voice shook, and he could tell she was holding back a torrent of tears.

"Come here, I need you close to my body to travel by shadow." Lucy numbly nodded and made her way to stand next to Zeref. She realized he was a good 6 inches taller than her, and she liked that. She felt a warm hand wrap around her shoulders and pull her, next she knew she had face planted into his chest. She inhaled deeply and calmed the inner storm as best she could, Zeref's warmth helping the process.

"Hold on tight, this won't be the most comfortable but it'll be fast." Lucy nodded and wrapped her arms securely around his waist and waited patiently for him to begin. She felt it mildly at first, a gently tugging at her fingers and toes; then it spread to the rest of her body and it became an insistent tugging at every part of her. After what felt like a few moments it stopped, and Lucy felt her body snap back into place and she buried her nose into Zeref's white scarf.

"That was uncomfortable. We're traveling by normal means when we leave." She murmured against his chest; she gently pulled herself out of his one armed embrace and tugged the waking man from his shoulders. Zeref sighed and wondered what the emptiness that he felt was when she left his embrace; he'd ask her what this feeling was later. He had so many questions, and he felt some things fall into place in his mind. Some moments made complete sense, of course he wanted her to be safe and happy. He knew that was the right thing to feel, but he didn't know why. He saw her brush her hair behind her ear as she sat the wounded man up against a rock and kneeled in front of him. Her eyes had become steely and unfaltering, and her lips were pursed into a tight thing line; nothing of the emotionally exhausted women remained. She spoke to the man who was sat up against the rock while she bandaged the wounds she inflicted upon him not long avon.

"Why were you trapping us?" She spoke calmly, yet resolutely. She was stern and straightforward. All he could do was stutter the words 'I don't know, I'm sorry I don't know' over and over. Zeref sighed, and went to check on the rock structure he had constructed on his last visit. He needed to make sure it would not break in the night on him and Lucy. He tried to wiggle the top rock loose, but it held sturdy. He repeated this action several more times for the other portions of the makeshift home until he heard a roar of frustration. He looked over to see Lucy standing over the man, trying to pull her own hair out, and realized that she'd get nowhere with him.

Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder and whipped her head up to look at Zeref, and glared.

"He won't say anything but "I don't know". What am I supposed to do with that information?" She seemed to slump against his shoulder, and quietly nuzzled her way into the crook of his neck. The action seemed to surprise both mages, but they quickly recovered from the purposeful and sudden contact. "I've never been good at things like this, up until fairly recently my life as a mage has been very different." A slim fingered hand tentatively stroked her back, and she heard Zeref giggle slightly and pause his small massage.

"I'm no better at it than you are, in fact I'm probably worse." He giggled again, and Lucy found the noise oddly comforting. The hand on her back lead her to a crackling fire and fish roasting on sticks. When they reached the fire, Lucy plopped down by one of the fish and poked at it with her finger. She glared at the light burn she received from the fish and stuck the finger in her mouth.

"Lucy," Zeref's voice interrupted her pouting. "May I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead." Came her muffled reply, she was speaking with her finger stuck in her mouth.

"What does it mean when I get cold?" Lucy cocked her head to the side and gave him a most confused look.

"Explain this coldness to me, because right now I have not a clue as to what you're talking about." A small smile quickly flashed across her features, and she remembered the comfort of his warm chest from the previous night.

"Ah well, your body is warm and the feeling of it against my own makes my chest almost too warm." Lucy blushed at his words; from how he made it sound, Zeref was attracted to her and she couldn't lie that she thought he was gorgeous. It had been quite some time since she had even allowed herself to feel anything remotely close to romantic feelings towards anyone. It felt nice, but the risk was far greater for her than any other situation regarding feelings if this sort that she had experienced. If he didn't reciprocate her feelings, she'd be alone once again.

"Zeref," She knew she had to approach this delicately with him, it was a subject that could not be explained incorrectly. "Do you know what it means to be attracted to someone?" She decided to get a grasp of what he knew about human attraction and then fill him in or correct his misunderstandings. He scrunched up his nose for a moment before starting to talk.

"Attraction is when you like something or someone. You want them to be happy, but you also want them around you. Sometimes there's a caring feel of protection, but sometimes there's a deeper and scarier feeling that I can't describe." Lucy sighed, she'd have to explain sexuality to him and what emotional attraction meant in a friendly way, and in a romantic way. She felt overwhelmed by the thought, and wondered which spirits she could call upon to help. Scorpio and Aquarius seemed like a good idea, she wouldn't trust Loke to explain such an important topic to Zeref.

"I don't think I can explain this all to you, its quite a daunting topic. I have a spirit friend who has been in a long term relationship with another spirit to whom I am contracted. Would that be ok?" Lucy smiled genuinely, hoping Zeref would understand that it was not a task she could complete alone. "I'll explain the basic categories of attraction to you, but there's one I don't feel I can explain properly." His head nodded slowly and he smiled at her sincerely.

"Good, I'm going to tell you about friendly and familial attraction." He sat in front of the fire place and payed close attention while pulling the fish away from the fire and handing two of them to Lucy. She carefully picked the scales off the first one. "Family is a bond that is formed between blood relatives, it can be between a mom or dad and a child, or between brothers and sisters. All relationships between each family member is different," She chose her next words very carefully, not wanting to step on Scorpio's area of explanation. "Sometimes two people feel the most powerful form of attraction, love, and make a family of their own." Lucy couldn't help but bitterly think of her own family, and how much she missed her own mother.

Lucy had finished picking off the scales and gently pulled a strip of white meat from the fish, allowing Zeref a chance to ask questions.

"What happens when two people make a family of their own?" He looked slightly confused but very interested in what Lucy had to say. He was never good at human interactions until the other day when she had cast that spell over him. She was so incredibly intelligent, possibly more so than he.

"Well, when someone has a child it is their job to make sure that the child has everything he or she needs. The parent becomes a caregiver, and they have the choice of choosing the child or something else in their life, like a business." Zeref looked directly into Lucy's eyes and saw moisture collecting in the corners. He scooted over to her side of the fire and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. The action caused Lucy to relax exponentially, she savored the contact she had with him and craved more. She allowed herself to feel the pleasure of his embrace without any reserve. She also understood that this was completely new information for him, and that it would take a great deal of time for him to catch up emotionally.

"From the past few days I have observed that this calms you when you are in distress. I don't like seeing you upset, and from what you've said so far, I do not feel a familial attraction towards you. Can you explain the last one to me?" Lucy smiled and was grateful that he was a fast learner, but not only that, he wanted to learn from he and he listened to what she had to say. This made her extremely happy, she was a person to him, not an angry woman or a 'fat' woman. That was what an extremely annoying blue cat used to call her.

"I'm going to have my friend Scorpio help you with sexual attraction. I have another spirit who might get something out of our captive over there." She felt Zeref's arm tighten around hers for a moment, and then he released her. Lucy gently wrapped her deceivingly slender and strong arms around his shoulders and gave him a tight squeeze, and she quickly got up and strode out of the cave.

"I summon thee, Aries the Ram, Scorpio the Scorpion!" Lucy chanted confidently and two bright flashes appeared before her. Scorpio cracked his shoulders and Aries shuddered.

"I'm sorry you guys, I know the mist is bad and it effects you both more so than it does for me, but its better on this island than on the mainland." Both nodded and asked what they could do to help.

"Scorpio, I have an interesting request for you. I thought it'd be best to ask you and not Loke, because he's well… Loke." Scorpio laughed and nodded. "I happen to have the most powerful mage on Earthland accompanying me. He does not understand sexual attraction, and I really don't know how to explain it. Is it something you are open to explaining? If not I understand, this is a request you can refuse." His eyes went wide with shock, he inclined his head towards her ear and adjusted the gun over his shoulder.

"You mean to tell me that you have the immortal one in that small cave," He whispered in her ear. "And that you want _me_ to go in and tell him about romance and sex?" Lucy looked him dead in the eye and nodded slowly. He backed out of her personal space with a wild grin on his face and said 'We are!' before marching into the stone hut. Aries watched, completely shocked before bowing deeply again and apologizing to Lucy for no reason.

"Aries, its ok you don't need to be sorry. I do need your help with something though…" Lucy trailed off and gestured to the slightly traumatized man still slumped against the rock. Aries looked mildly shocked and Lucy's sheepishness and the state of the other person. The spirit made her way over to the Rune Knight and gently knelt down in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm here to help you relax, there's nothing to worry about." She said, as a puff of pink wool surrounded the man's shoulders and created a makeshift pillow. She sat down on a pink fluff next to the man, and began asking him questions.

"What happened to you?" She was concerned and nice, she played the perfect good cop part simply because she _was_ the good cop.

"I don't know, at one moment I was helping clean the barracks, the next the scary blonde was standing in front of me on this island." His voice shook and he covered his face with his hands.

"I see, I'm very sorry that happened to you. The blonde isn't all the scary, but she has a temper. Did you call her fat?" The man looked utterly perplexed and shook his head. Aries realized that she'd gotten all the information from him that she'd ever get an went to go back to her Princess. She found Lucy with an ear pressed against the outside wall of the makeshift hut, giggling silently. Aries quietly crept over to Lucy and bowed while mouthing 'I'm sorry' and joined her in eaves dropping on the conversation.


End file.
